MAKING SURE YOU ARE INFORMED

Playing organ put Vietnam veteran in danger

Musician Richard Hertel played the organ at two chapels in Vietnam during the war, which meant driving in a jeep with a couple of other guys and their M-16s for their only protection, or flying in a helicopter.

His most memorable trip: the pilot was “short,” about to go home, and he gave Hertel and the chaplain a copter thrill ride.

“He flew sideways over the Saigon River, with no side doors and no seat belts,” he said. “The centrifugal force held us in. We were low enough that we started chasing water buffalo. It was a really fun ride.”